The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has organized a three-day training on Administrative Law and Dispute Resolution for selected staff of the Commission. The training which was held in Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra from October 15-17, 2024 had Staff from the Regional Operations and Consumer Services Directorate, Public Relations Officers, and Technical Staff of the Commission.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of PURC, Dr. Ishmael Ackah, reiterated the operational theme for the year 2024 as: “Self-improvement, Transparency, Enforcement, and Proactiveness (STEP)”, highlighting the strategic importance particularly of capacity building for self-improvement. He emphasized on the importance of continuous staff capacity development, given the increasing enlightenment and sophistication of consumers due to their access to information and the Commission’s public education efforts.
The objective of the three-day training was to improve the skills of the Regional Operations and Consumer Services Officers, who are responsible for resolving utility service-related disputes across the country. The Commission seeks to continually enhance the capacity of its staff to manage the complaint processes at the regional facilitation and mediation stages. An essential aspect of this is to ensure that these facilitation and mediation processes are conducted within the parameters of the law to minimize the Commission's legal risk.
The workshop was led by esteemed facilitators, His Lordship Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei, a Justice of the Court of Appeal and Emmanuel Amofa Esq., a seasoned legal practitioner in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Managing Partner of Amofa & Partners, Attorneys and Arbitration Practitioners.
The presentations clarified the legal framework and instances in which courts exercise judicial review over administrative bodies. The distinction between negotiation and mediation was made clear, with a focus on facilitating the settlement of complaints. Other modules discussed included settlement meetings, identification of issues, and the preparation of settlement agreements. Several case studies were undertaken to engage the participants in practical exercises on distilling issues from facts, identifying interests and positions, caucusing and drafting of settlement agreements.
The participants represented a cross-section of staff of the Commission, including the Commission’s Regional Operations and Consumer Services Officers from Bono East, Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra, Volta, Ashanti, Eastern, Western, Central, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions. Additionally, staff from the Research and Corporate Affairs, Energy Services & Performance Monitoring, Water Services & Performance Monitoring and the Audit and Risk Directorates were also in attendance, making it a comprehensive and inclusive training session.
